The UK has officially closed the chapter on its 142-year history of coal power as the last coal power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire was permanently shut down. Ratcliffe-on-Soar had been operational for 57 years.
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The UK has powered its homes, businesses and industries with coal for over 142 years. The world’s first coal-fired power station was built in London in 1882 by inventor Thomas Edison.
On September 30, 2024, the last remaining coal power plant, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire, closed its doors after 56 years of operation.
In 1990, coal contributed about 80% of the UK’s electricity. By 2012, it had dropped to 39%, and by 2023, coal accounted for just 1% of the UK’s electricity generation.
The National Grid has recorded that more than 50% of the UK’s electricity now comes from renewable sources including wind and solar power. The remaining electricity comes from natural gas and nuclear energy.
The United Kingdom is the first country among the Group of Seven (G7) major economies to phase out coal entirely from its electricity generation, though smaller European nations such as Sweden and Belgium accomplished this earlier.
While coal was essential to the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the United Kingdom as an industrial power, it is also the most polluting fossil fuel, emitting the highest levels of greenhouse gases when burned.
The closure of coal plants is a step in reducing the UK’s carbon footprint with the country on track to meet its goal of generating all its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
In 2010, renewables made up just 7% of the UK’s power supply. By the first half of 2024, that number had risen to over 50%, a record for the country.
In 2008, the United Kingdom established its first legally binding climate targets, a firm stance on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2015, the United Kingdom’s energy and climate change secretary at the time, Amber Rudd declared that the nation would eliminate coal power by the mid-2020s, a statement that provided the coal industry with a clear end date.
It was Opened in 1967, Ratcliffe-on-Soar played an important role in the UK’s energy mix for decades, supplying power to over 2 million homes.
The station employed around 3,000 workers, although the workforce had declined in recent years. In its final years, the plant’s operations were extended due to the gas supply crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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In 2012, coal accounted for about 39% of electricity generation, but by 2019, its share had dropped to less than 2%. The decline of coal was driven by multiple factors including government policies, carbon pricing and investments in renewable energy infrastructure.
Wind and solar power have been the main contributors to the UK’s shift towards green energy with wind power being a major replacement for coal. The United Kingdom has also managed to avoid a heavy reliance on natural gas during the transition.
The United Kingdom government’s decision to phase out coal was set in motion almost a decade ago with the initial target set for 2025. In a show of leadership during the UN’s COP26 climate talks in 2021, the UK brought forward the coal phase-out deadline by a year.
A combination of incentives for renewable energy and penalties for carbon emissions helped accelerate the closure of coal plants across the country.
Phil MacDonald, managing director of global energy think tank Ember, addressed the importance of both carrots and sticks, creating a supportive environment for clean energy while setting clear deadlines for polluting sources.
The United Kingdom’s move to eliminate coal power positions it as a global leader in the transition to clean energy. More than a third of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries are already coal-free with many others planning to follow by 2030.
Globally, coal’s share of electricity generation has decreased, particularly in OECD countries, where it has fallen from a peak of 36% in 2007 to 17% today.
The United Kingdom’s swift transition from coal is seen as a model for other nations working to meet international climate targets including limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Since the decline of coal began in 2012, the UK has avoided 880 million tonnes of carbon emissions, a figure more than double the country’s total emissions in 2023.
The switch to renewable energy sources like wind and solar has also resulted in huge economic savings estimated at £2.9 billion.
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